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Madroman
Madroman, formerly known as Ladroman, is a member of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii and an acolyte of the zelandonia. Madroman has something of a grudge against Jondalar, as he beat him, causing disfigurement, when they were adolescents. Biography Early Life When he was a young man, Madroman was known as Ladroman. He was taught about the Gift of Pleasure by the Zelandoni Who would become the First, then known as Zolena. Zolena also became the Doni woman of Jondalar. Ladroman spied on them talking about becoming mated. This is considered taboo as Zolena was his donii-woman, meant to teach him about the Gift of Pleasure. Out of jealousy, Ladroman revealed the nature of Jondalar and Zolena's relationship to everyone. Unfortunately, this caused Jondalar to fly into a rage and beat Ladroman, knocking out several of his teeth and causing permanent disfigurement. Jondalar deeply regretted his actions after the fact, and was forced to pay restitution and go to live with his father, Dalanar, for several years, to learn to control his temper. Ladroman later changed his name to Madroman and became an acolyte of the zelandonia, but even years later, he resented Jondalar for what he did, believing he ruined his life. The Valley of Horses Jondalar briefly mentions Madroman, though by name, when he tells Ayla about his shameful past. The Mammoth Hunters Jondalar briefly considers fighting Ranec out of jealousy when he begins a relationship with Ayla, but is able to keep his temper in check when he remembers the incident with Madroman. The Shelters of Stone Jondalar and Ayla unexpectedly meet Madroman at a Summer Meeting. Madroman is pleasant enough to the pair, but he is secretly jealous and bitter. After watching Ayla and Jondalar being mated, he thinks to himself that he could've gotten a woman like Ayla if only Jondalar hadn't beaten him, and seethes at the unfairness of the situation. He reassures himself he did the right thing in revealing Zolena and Jondalar's relationship. The Land of Painted Caves Madroman is on his way to becoming a full shaman after he receives the Call from the Mother, spending several nights in a cave, in a trance. When Ayla herself goes through the Call however, she stumbles upon a backpack of supplies in the cave, including food and water to last several days and hallucinogenic herbs. It is revealed that Madroman faked his Call, using the herbs to induce visions, out of desperation to become a shaman. As a result, he is expelled from the zelandonia. Madroman is outraged and upset by this, blaming Ayla - and even Jondalar - for ruining his life a second time, even though he had no one but himself to blame this time around. It's later revealed he ran away from the Ninth Cave with Brukeval, presumably to travel to a new tribe where no one will know he isn't a true shaman. Personality Madroman is a rather tragic man. He seems to crave attention, respect and popularity, but tends to choose dishonest or morally questionable methods of achieving it. He seems to have convinced himself he was just trying to do 'the right thing' by revealing Jondalar and Zolena's relationship; however, the very public way in which he did it, combined with his feelings for Zolena and resentment of Jondalar for being her favourite, imply that jealousy, vengeance and desire for attention was his true motivation. It's also implied Madroman joined the zelandonia not because he felt compelled to serve the Mother or his people, but from a desire to be seen as powerful and worthy of respect. This would indicate that Madroman's actions are driven from his own self-interests. Madroman seems to blame others for his own failings and shortcomings. Whilst it is true that Jondalar did a terrible wrong to Madroman by beating him and that his disfigurement may have negatively impacted his life, he seems to constantly use the incident as an excuse as to why he was never successful or content in life, even though it has been many years since the incident took place. He also blames Ayla for his being expelled from the zelandonia, despite the fact that it was own actions and his alone that lead to it, proving himself to be deceitful and unworthy of being Zelandoni by cheating the trials. The real tragedy of the situation is that if Madroman could only have let go of his past and developed his talents and skills, rather than blaming others all the time or trying desperately to earn people's respect, he could actually have been successful and genuinely earned the admiration of others. In the end, Madroman's inability to move on from his past and insecurities lead to his downfall. Category:Characters